Snuff Bottle thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Snuff Bottle

1850-1880 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The habit of snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the 17th century and became established in the 18th century. People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. By the 20th century Snuff is powdered tobacco, usually blended with aromatic herbs or spices. these bottles had become collectors' items, owing to the great variety of materials and decorative techniques used in their production.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Porcelain, painted with coloured enamels
Brief description
Snuff bottle, glass, China, Qing dynasty, 1850-1880
Physical description
The bottle is an oblong flattened flask form, it is slightly wider at the shoulders than at the base; the shoulders sloping to a short cylindrical neck with no stopper.
It is made of glass, opaque white, with thin overlay of brown glass carved in relief.
The decoration depicts a mounted horseman chasing a spotted deer, a bird flying away and an inscription in seal-script meaning 'Picture of catching a deer'. On the reverse there is a bearded man sitting beneath a tree, with a kettle and a teacup beside him, and a brid flying towards him. There are masks and mock ring handles on the shoulders with brown overlay on the edge of the neck.
The curved foot is formed by brown glass overlay, with indentation underneath.
A seal-type bottle. 'catching a deer' is a pun on gettting an official's salary. The similarity of this bottle to 5363-1901(the masks and mock ring handles are identical) suggests a pre-1880 date for this bottle as well.
Dimensions
  • Height: 5.5cm
  • Width: 3.81cm
Taken from register
Style
Marks and inscriptions
(Chinese; carving)
Translation
'Picture of catching a deer'
Credit line
Andrew Burman Bequest
Object history
An example of so-called 'seal type' bottle; this type has been attributed to Yangzhou and is said to date from C.1840 onwards.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The habit of snuff-taking spread to China from the West during the 17th century and became established in the 18th century. People generally carried snuff in a small bottle. By the 20th century Snuff is powdered tobacco, usually blended with aromatic herbs or spices. these bottles had become collectors' items, owing to the great variety of materials and decorative techniques used in their production.
Bibliographic reference
White, Helen. Snuff Bottles from China. London: Bamboo Publishing Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1992. 291p., ill. ISBN 1870076109.
Collection
Accession number
C.433-1926

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Record createdJuly 9, 1998
Record URL
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